NDS boosts Senior Management Team in China to support Major Expansion Plans

(PresseBox) (Beijing, China, 27.07.2010)
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- Senior appointments form part of NDS’ plan to triple its investment in local people and infrastructure in China in 2010
- NDS China is committed to developing solutions, partnerships and services for customers in China and the rest of the world

NDS, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, today announced that it has expanded its senior management team in China with the appointment of three Vice Presidents, Water Wang, Tom Zhang and the Yvonne Wang. The appointments underline NDS’ ongoing commitment to invest in the digital TV market in China.

In his role as Vice President, New Initiatives and Business Development, Water Wang will oversee NDS’ Next Generation Broadband (NGB) activities as well as the Telco sector in Greater China. Tom Zhang, Vice President, Cable Business, will be responsible for developing NDS’ cable business in the region. Both Wang and Zhang will be based in Beijing and will report to Chris Yap, Vice President and General Manager, Cable, NDS China.

Following a number of years with NDS, Yvonne Wang’s appointment to Vice President, Corporate Development, NDS China, is in recognition for her instrumental role in the growth of the company’s business in the region. In her new role, she will continue to support development of opportunities throughout the region, reporting to Sue Taylor, Senior Vice President and Chairman NDS China.

The appointment of these executives brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to NDS’ senior management team in China: Tom Zhang has worked in the cable and broadcasting industries in China for 20 years, while Water Wang has more than 15 years’ experience in the broadcasting, communications, satellite, and semiconductor industries and Yvonne Wang has forged a successful career in corporate development with a number of years in the industry, five of which with NDS.

These new appointments reflect the strategic importance of China to NDS. China is experiencing a period of intense growth in digital pay-TV, outstripping all other markets. According to Media Partners Asia, with over 66 million digital pay-TV subscribers, China is the largest market in the world for digital pay-TV subscribers. By 2014 this market is predicted to reach 198 million subscribers. In parallel, cable TV revenues will increase from $9 billion in 2009 to $17 billion in 2014.

“As momentum builds around NGB and the switch to digital pay-TV platforms in China, having the right management team in the region is critical for NDS. Water ,Tom and Yvonne’s significant experience and in-depth knowledge of the Chinese market means that NDS is now even better positioned to help operators in China benefit from this transition and achieve their goals” said Sue Taylor, Senior Vice President and Chairman NDS China.

Earlier this year NDS announced that it had increased its headcount in China by 73% in the previous year, reflecting strong demand for its products and services locally. NDS opened an R&D, engineering and customer support facility in Shenzhen in March 2009.

NDS Group Ltd.

NDS Group Ltd. creates the technologies and applications that enable pay-TV operators to securely deliver digital content to TV STBs (set-top boxes), DVRs (digital video recorders), PCs, mobiles and other multimedia devices. Over 90 of the world’s leading pay-TV platforms rely on NDS solutions to protect and enhance their business.

NDS’ VideoGuard® is the world’s market-leading content and service protection solution, deployed in 114 million pay-TV households. VideoGuard conditional access (CA) and digital rights management (DRM) technologies safeguard pay-TV service revenues exceeding $50 billion. NDS middleware, which enables a host of advanced services for subscribers, has been deployed on 206 million devices. NDS DVR technology, centred around XTV™, is a leader in the global industry with 45 million units deployed. (Deployment figures as of 30th September 2011).

Headquartered in the UK, with over 5000 employees, NDS remains committed to investing in technology and development with over 75% of its employees dedicated to pioneering work at development centres in France, India, Israel, Korea, UK and US.

NDS Group Ltd. is a private company owned by the Permira Funds and News Corporation. See www.nds.com for more information